The castle of doom
by Droplets of blue rain
Summary: "For her, she wants a pokemon which has never attacked anyone or anything in its lifetime." She pronounced, pointing at the tiny egg of utter happiness which was being clutched more tightly by its owner. What would happen to it?


**Hi everyone! What's up? :D **

**Here's a new one-shot of Pokemon. Basically, I write for Beyblade. But...I love Pokemon too! **

**Enjoy! :D **

* * *

The trio was walking across the dense woods. The jungle was so dense that the rays of sunshine couldn't peep through its bushes. Inside it, the eccentric dark-green twilight was watching the pokemon trainers advancing, smirking silently. Somehow, the appeasing breezes of afternoon were able to enter the forest, leaving sudden and transitory pulsations in the shrubs and the clustering leafy heads of the trees. Whenever they were passing by the wilds, they were making our heroes shiver a bit. Along with being gloomy, the succession of trees was so hushed that the breaths of the passers could easily be heard. Whenever a few leaves were falling on the grass-covered ground, their ears became alert. The discreetness was awkward and scary at the same time.

"Umm….Ash…." The orange-haired girl dared break the silence first, "Where are we going?"

"Don't you know?" The raven quickly responded, "Goldenrod city of course!"

"No no…I didn't mean that….." Misty tried to rephrase her words, "I meant….is it the correct way?"

"Of course, Mist," Brock assured the girl, while scanning the map held in his hands, "At least the map says so."

"You're being a doubting-maniac day by day, Misty," Ash chortled, "How long will you keep annoying us in this way?"

As those words penetrated the tympanic membranes of the orangette, flames started flowing through her veins. Clenching her fangs, she tried her best to kill the raven with her bullet-like cerulean orbs.

"ASH KETCHUM!" She exploded like a grenade, "HOW DARE YOU SAY THOSE THINGS TO ME?!"

Hearing her, a couple of pidgies flew away from their nests. Somewhere, thunder struck a tree. The eldest guy of the group just gulped, praying immensely. The egg-shelled pokemon inside her bag had woken up just then, tried to view the natural beauty. Witnessing the wrath of its owner, it again went back to its shell. The yellow mouse just ran behind the legs of its owner who bit his tongue, cursing it madly.

"No no…I mean…" He was about to manage his friend but all of a sudden, the soothing breezes turned into galloping gusts of wind. The greenish aura inside the jungle became totally black. The sun just got concealed behind the coats of thick dark clouds. The booms of thunderbolts could be heard. The trees by the sides of the narrow forest lane started shaking their leafy heads like crazy rockstars on the stage of a concert. A few droplets of water touched their skin, ending up getting mixed with the soil underneath their feet.

"It's a storm!" Misty forgot her wrath, "We need to find a shelter!"

"Run!" Brock commanded as he forwarded. The other trainers ran behind him, following his trail.

The speed of the falling globules rapidly increased. The drizzling turned into cats-and-dogs raining. The sounds of lightning shortened the period between two shocks. So, they accelerated the velocity of their running too though it hardly brought any profit to them. They'd already gotten drenched from their tops to bottoms.

"Look there!" The ladies-man pointed at the crest of a building.

"It….it looks like a house….." Misty squealed, seeing a flicker of hope in the darkness of disappointment and ambiguity, "Let's go there!"

They quickened their feet. Thunderclouds were roaring violently. The ground under them was about to be flooded with water. Trees were aggressively juddering. Yet, the group didn't stop. They kept sprinting like ostriches.

* * *

Once they stopped in front of the house, their mouths remained open. No no, it was not an ordinary house. It was a castle, built of sandstones. There were kite and diamond-shaped loopholes on its walls. Most of them were shielded with heavy crystal sheaths. From the uncovered ones, creepers found their own ways downwards. Nameless tiny flowers were blooming on them. The parabolic door of the fort was open, welcoming the fatigued and unsheltered travelers. A blazed quartz lantern was swinging there, hanging from the top of the gate. Standing below the obsidian hazes of vapors, the fortress was looking more paradoxical.

But they didn't have much time to observe the castle. They just rushed into it. No sooner had they entered the place and sighed in relief than the door got closed, slightly sliding against the stony floor, creating an unpleasant sound.

"**Crack!" **

They gasped, looking back and staring at one another's face. The inner portion of the castle was quieter than the narrow jungle lanes. This time, their heartbeats could be heard along with their breaths. If anyone dropped a pin there, the sound waves of its falling could also hit their tympanic membranes. Over their heads, kerosene lamps were hanging from the roof. Their wonky blazes rolled their eyes at the darkness inside the lobby. However, it didn't care. That's why, the aura remained eerie, forcing every hair of the bodies of the pokemon trainers stand up.

"Pika?" The first pokemon of Ash Ketchum tried to break the silence, expressing its curiosity to its owner. However, it didn't help much.

"Pii!" The little egg from the bag of Misty jumped down. Then, it started running somewhere, almost in a dancing style.

"Togepi!" The orangette yelled, tending to follow it, "Where're you going?"

"Wait for us, Misty!" Brock also started rushing there.

"Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash looked at his buddy, before dashing off.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

* * *

The hall was quite large. To be frank, it was the most enlightened room of the castle at that time. In the nooks of its granite walls, earthen oil lamps were burning. On a wooden dais, there was a stone-made womanlike statue. The curves of its body were subtle. Two of the group ignored its figure. However, the third one kept staring at it just like a pied crested cuckoo, gawking at the rainclouds. Two pieces of sapphires were placed at its eye sockets. Amidst the flames of torches and lanterns, those orbs were glinting, being more cryptic. When the pokemon trainers saw the creepy smile clinging to its lips, their hearts skipped a beat. In front of the figurine, some almost-eroded candles were smoldering on metallic lusters. At its feet, there were a few dried flowers and their ripped petals. The little bunch of happiness was playing there single-mindedly.

"Togepi!" Misty called in a loud tone.

"Tu-gi?" Hearing its owner, it looked at her. Then, with tiny footsteps and a smiling face, it approached its owner as she held it in her arms again. She was about to tell it how hard she'd been searching for it but she got no time for that.

"So, you've finally come here, haven't you?"

Out of the blue, a shaking voice buzzed into their ears, increasing their heartbeats and causing their sweat glands to be active a bit.

"Who….who's that?" The raven-haired boy managed to open his mouth first.

"Me."

From the back of the podium, bit by bit, a feminine figure appeared in front of their eyes. The mysterious lady was tall, slender-figured. Her complexion represented the mixture of milk and sandalwood paste. The velvety, voluminous golden hair blew in the air a bit entering through the gaps of the walls. Her icy-blue orbs rolled themselves as she blinked once, showing the strangers her long and dense eyelashes and semicircular eyebrows. She was wearing a long gown in the shades of black and maroon having long trumpet sleeves. Her rosy pink lips extended once, into a smile, just reminding them of the smile in the corners of the lips of the idol that had been seen by them before a while.

Her appearance raised a storm over someone's heart. Then again, she was like a musician in front of someone whose feet craved to dance.

"Hi!" The auburn-haired guy almost dashed like a storm. Holding her fingerless gloves-worn hands gently, he bowed, "I'm Brock. Nice to meet you. Would you like to accompany me in a candle-light dinner?"

"Brock!" The orange-haired girl was ready to her own-assigned job. Reaching him, she kept dragging him, holding his ear. Speaking being excess, the ladies-man didn't like it at all.

"I'm Paula," The mysterious woman bowed, "Welcome, everyone! You're in the castle of doom!"

"Castle of doom?"

Ash stepped back, his yellow buddy hid behind him, holding his legs. Misty held togepi tightly, closer to her chest. Brock's feelings vanished within no moment. Gulping, he looked here and there.

_For the first time, he was wholeheartedly praying not to be her valentine….._

"Relax, dear guests," Her voice sounded honeyed, "Paula won't harm you. For her, she just wants a pokemon which has never attacked anyone or anything in its lifetime.

"Never attacked anyone or anything?"

Everyone's eyes became widened. At the next second, they all looked at a particular egg-shelled pokemon, wrapped in the arms of its owner. Realizing the fact, the owner of the castle evilly chuckled, pointing at the celestial pokemon.

"No! Not Togepi!" Misty blurted, clutching it tightly, "I won't give you it, no matter what happens!"

"Misty is right," Ash remonstrated too, "Our pokemons are ours, none of yours!"

"Hahahaha!" Paula burst out laughing. Her laughter was echoing throughout the entire compartment, making the blazes of the lamps and candles shiver a bit.

When she stopped, a wicked glow twinkled in her ocean orbs. Blinking again, she clenched her teeth. The pokemon trainers felt to be attacked soon.

None noticed the cute ball smilingly moving its petite hands once left, once right. It was enjoying its task.

_It loved to do that. _

"Pikachu!" The restless raven screeched, "Thunder!"

All the energy of the roaring clouds mustered in the tiny body of the yellow mouse. It gritted its fangs as its paws curled into grips. Shutting its eyes tightly, it released all the power.

"**Pika-chuuu!" **

Earth started shaking. Every muscle of the pokemon trainers stretched up. They were feeling exhausted, keeping panting heavily. The sleep of eternity possessed their eyes. Gradually, they all fell on the ground, being lulled to an unavoidable siesta.

* * *

"Pika! Pika!"

The squeals of the electric mouse made the eyes of Ash Ketchum flutter a bit. Yawning, he rubbed them. Slowly opening them, he sat up on the bed.

"Ash!" The orangette and the auburn-haired guy rushed to him, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," He nodded, still seemed confused, "But….where are we now? Are Togepi and Pikachu alright?"

"Don't worry, Ash, they all are fine," Brock gave a toothy smile. The pokemons also cheered, agreeing with him.

Sighing in relief, the raven glanced all over the room. He was lying on a two-storied bed. The room seemed familiar to him. Wrinkling his eyebrows, he scratched his chin for a few seconds. His eyes lit up as he recognised the room.

A pokemon center? Wait what? How?

"How're you feeling now?" Misty's tone seemed concerned.

"Alright, I guess," Ash rubbed his temple, "But how did we end up here?"

"We also don't know," The orange-haired girl shook her head, sighing, "We were rescued by a group of pokemon trainers. They saw us lying on the ground."

"On the ground?" Ash cocked an eyebrow, "But….we were in the castle of doom, weren't we?"

None could answer to his question, save lowering heads, shaking them here and there.

_Every question doesn't have an answer, after all…._

* * *

**So...how was it? **

**Do read and review. Pardon all the grammatical and the spelling errors of the fic. Take care :D **

**-Misty ^_^ **


End file.
